Born Bad

‘Gritty and gripping’ – Kimberley Chambers, No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller

‘Marnie Riches is a leading light in the field of Mancunian noir. Born Bad is impressive.’ The Guardian

A powerful, darkly comic novel set in the criminal underworld of Manchester from bestselling author Marnie Riches.

The battle is on…

When gang leader Paddy O’Brien is stabbed in his brother’s famous nightclub, Manchester’s criminal underworld is shaken to the core. Tensions are running high, and as the body count begins to grow, the O’Brien family must face a tough decision – sell their side of the city to the infamous Boddlington gang or stick it out and risk losing their king.

But war comes easy to the bad boys, and they won’t go down without a fight. So begins a fierce battle for the South Side, with the leading Manchester gangsters taking the law into their own hands – but only the strongest will survive…

Reviews

PRAISE FOR BORN BAD

‘Gritty and gripping’ Kimberley Chambers, Sunday Times No.1 Bestseller

‘Marnie Riches is already a leading light in the field of Mancunian noir. Born Bad vividly covers all aspects of her city, from its rundown backstreets and grime-covered civic buildings to its rich musical legacy…It’s impressive.’ The Guardian

'Pacy, poignant, funny and violent, it grabs you by the hand and drags you down the mean streets of Manchester with such verve and authenticity that you can almost smell the rain and blood as you turn the pages. Any fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers will be adding Marnie Riches to their "must buy" list. Born Bad is a belter.' Simon Toyne, international bestselling author of the Sanctus trilogy

‘I loved the energy of this book…Riches’ story-telling is blistering, vivid and super-pacy. It’s also very funny, even at its darkest.’ Helen Cadbury

‘This book is stunning…there are subplots that will have the reader loving a character on one page, and hating them the next. There are moralistic twists and turns which will see the reader empathising, and having disdain, with a person all at the same time. Someone needs to make it into a film!’ Nigel Adams Bookworm Blog

*PRAISE FOR MARNIE RICHES PREVIOUS SERIES*

‘Fast-paced and enthralling’ C. L. Taylor, author of The Missing

'Fast, furious, fantastic…One killer thriller!’ Mark Edwards

‘A strong, edgy debut that deserves to do well’ Clare Mackintosh

‘Raw, brutal and utterly compelling. Riches is an explosive new talent.’ David Mark

‘Marnie Riches arrives with a fully formed narrative skill that suggests decades of experience; she’s created a wonderfully idiosyncratic heroine, prone to bad judgement, and placed her in an artfully constructed novel that even incorporates cogent discussions of sexuality and gender. Ms Riches is clearly a name to watch!’ BARRY FORSHAW, author of Euro Noir and The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction

About the author

Marnie Riches grew up on a rough estate in Manchester, aptly within sight of the dreaming spires of Strangeways prison. Able to speak five different languages, she gained a Masters degree in Modern & Medieval Dutch and German from Cambridge University. She has been a punk, a trainee rock star, a pretend artist, a property developer and professional fundraiser. In her spare time, she likes to run, mainly to offset the wine and fine food she consumes with great enthusiasm